Guardian Angel
by bieni1901
Summary: Peter Parker and Morgan Stark both share their immense grief for Tony Stark. But one day the pain will ease - if just a little bit...


_To watch over her is my duty._

_To watch over him is my privilege._

_They both grow so fast; I wonder where time has gone._

"Hey Pete", aunt May shouted up the stairs as she knew her nephew would be in his room, waiting. And studying. His High School exams were about to come, and they decided whether the teen would reach the next grade or not. Right now, as it seemed, he couldn't concentrate properly on what he was doing – his idol's funeral still had an impact on how he felt. But, like always, aunt May was sure he'd succeed.

It took about two minutes until a response came.

"Yes May? What is it?"

"Honey, you have a visitor. A small, but very cute one, too."

This time it didn't take long, and Pete came rushing down the stairs. When he arrived in the living room, he could only see Pepper's back as she turned to walk out of the door. Somebody giggled, and he knew that voice very well. Morgan sat on the sofa, with a cheeseburger in her hands and a small backpack by her side looking right towards him. Stark's daughter did so well, he thought. After all, she had lost her father, but here she was, happy as ever though she sometimes tried to hide her grief. She had already been here several times. Peter was her favourite brother – he still didn't know why she called him that – and she really liked him being Spider-Man, too. Right after dad and mom he was her superhero. Sometimes, when he thought about it, he couldn't hold his tears back because it almost broke his heart to see this sweet little girl growing up without her beloved father. Now Peter know what that was like, but it was different this time. His mentor, his idol and role-model was gone forever and nothing could ease the pain he felt when it was brought back to his mind every time he walked through the streets of New York. _I see him everywhere I go_, he had told Happy._ I miss him so much._

"Hi", Morgan said with a big smile across her face.

"You want a cheeseburger? I brought you one."

This little five-year-old. She's adorable.

"You've been with Happy again, huh?"

Peter smiled as she nodded violently.

"Uh-huh. Mommy didn't like it. I got two cheeseburgers and the third one's for you. I'm bursting."

"You really shouldn't eat so much burgers or you'll end up like Thor", May called from the kitchen.

"Here, you two better have some juice. Vitamins are always good."

Now she appeared with two glasses and a jug for juice on a tray which she placed on the table and sat down next to Morgan. Peter did the same and patted the girl's head. For just a second, he saw Tony's face in hers, but as he felt the tears coming again, he quickly thought of something else. The last thing he wanted was Morgan to see him cry like he sometimes did. Especially in this case. _Oh, Mister Stark…_

They sat there for a while chatting about various things. It was just a day like every other – well, almost. It was a day with Morgan, and they were always special. The teenage boy had never expected to have something like a little sister someday, especially one he hadn't known at first. Because he had been dusted. He could have bet she had been as adorable as a baby as she was now.

Later in the evening May told him that Morgan would stay the night. She studied his face very carefully right after, and then she asked: "How are you, Pete?"

The kid didn't say anything at first. He couldn't.

"I'm…fine", he finally responded after a long pause.

An obvious lie – he knew his aunt would have noticed right away.

She waited to see if there would be more, but when he remained silent, she softly said:

"Oh, sweetheart. You don't have to hide your pain from me. Remember, I know too well what you must go through right now. And it's unpleasant, it's hard, and sometimes you might feel like the pain will tear you apart. That's why I want you to know I'll help you, no matter what. You're not alone, Pete, though you might feel you are. You can always come to me. Huh?"

"I know. I know… May? I have a question."

"Anything, sweetheart."

"When will it ease? Like, does it actually? What do I do if it's not the case? I see his face in every street corner. It's making things harder."

"You have every right to ask this question, Pete. But remember when you started to get better after Ben died? It took some time, but it eventually came to an end. It'll be the same now. And I'm sure when it gets easier for you, it'll also be easier to look at the paintings. I know you can do it. You're strong, Pete, very strong."

The teen slowly nodded as he remembered his past grievances. Though he didn't know yet, May was right. The day he'd notice it still had to come. And 'til then… He'd be the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. But for now, he was Pete, not Spider-Man. And as Pete, he gave his aunt a long and warm hug. _What'd I do without you…_

Before sleeping, he lay in his bed together with little Morgan because she refused to sleep on the bed May had specially built for her. Instead, she wanted to cuddle. Peter found this so cute that he let her, like every time she wanted to give him hugs or sleep next to him because it comforted her. These situations always were the ones in which they had the most special talks. They got to know each other better, and Peter could tell Morgan some stories about Spider-Man and his encounters with some bad guys. He had found out early that the small millionaire loved stories, and since he didn't have to make them up, he enjoyed telling her some. Morgan appreciated that he did so which was why she regarded him as her older brother. They were in the middle of another adventurous story when she suddenly spiked him in the side and whispered devoutly: "Daddy's watching over us."

Pete who was all astonished went silent and looked around with a sudden feeling of anxiety.

"Like, right now? Is he here?"

"No. Every time. He's a guardian angel. I think I'll be fearless from now on."

"Oh yeah? Well, that's a pretty brave decision. But why are you so sure he's watching over us?"

"Because we're his children and he'd never abandon his children. Ever. Daddy's always been here, I'm sure he wouldn't go away just now."

"Have you seen him?"

"Not yet. But Pete, can we go to the beach tomorrow? I want to see the sea. Mommy will allow it for sure."

He thought about it for a second, unsure how to respond. Then he quietly said: "I'll ask aunt May if that's okay for her. But I think we won't go swimming."

"I don't want to go swimming. I just want to see the waves come and go. And maybe build a sandcastle."

She chuckled when she imagined all the nice things she could do at the seaside and Peter grinned. It had been a while since he last had been to the beach. Either he hadn't found the time to go there or he had just forgotten about it. He had always loved the sea. The light, salty scent of the water, the pleasant breeze, the sound of seagulls flying screaming over people's heads… He had always felt carefree back then – it had been the most beautiful days. A lot has changed since then.

"When I'm big I would love to live near the beach. And you can always come visit me there!"

She's already making plans… I hope she'll fulfil her dreams when she's older.

Little did they know that not everything would work out like they'd planned. For the moment, this nice illusion was all they had to go on.

"If we want to see the sea we should sleep now, little Stark", Peter finally said as he knew he'd lost track of where he had stopped in his story.

"We'll have to get up early to wake May."

With this they both closed their eyes and soon fell asleep. In the middle of the night though, when they couldn't notice, a fast beam of light went across the room. It hadn't been the light of any of the cars outside nor that of the lampposts – for that, it had been far too bright.

Early in the morning, Morgan woke up May as well as Peter with some loud music playing in the living room. As soon as they arrived, she quickly apologized for the noise and asked if they could go see the sea. Aunt May liked the idea very much, for she, too, hadn't seen the beach in years. A quick phone call to Pepper later they had packed everything they needed in the car and soon arrived at their destination. It was a very lovely place without the loads of tourists who lay in the sand to get tanned. There were steep cliffs people could climb to get a better view above the ocean, but there was also a way leading upwards. The beach itself was quite a long one and they could find seashells nearly everywhere they looked. Morgan picked them up with great joy, stating that she would bring some for Mommy and Happy, too, before rushing off in the distance.

"Stay in eyesight, Morgan", May shouted after her and got a cheer in response.

"She really didn't understate when she said she loved the ocean. Look at this girl. Can you remember being like her when you were her age?"

Peter blushed as he opened his bag to take out a metallic bracelet.

"No, actually. I don't remember much of being five years old. Only pieces. I really was like her?"

"Indeed. No wonder you ended up becoming Spider-Man after you've been bitten by that spider. It really is in your nature, Pete."

The boy slowly unfolded a big towel thinking about what his aunt had just said. It didn't take long, and May noticed the bracelet on his arm.

"Uh, Pete? Why'd you bring your suit? I thought this would be a danger-free day."

"And it is, don't worry. I just want to practice a bit. You know, swinging around and stuff, nothing big."

"Well, you'd better be careful still. I don't want to see you hurt. Got me?"

"Yeah, May, I'll be careful, always am."

"I'll be reading a book and having an eye on Morgan."

And off he went to the steep cliffs. They were like an invitation to him clearly saying CLIMB ME. He eyed them very carefully trying to find out where he better shouldn't throw his nets to. There were some dangerous parts, but he knew it would be fun. Plus, if he reached the top of the cliffs, he would get a great view. He could watch May and Morgan and, in case they needed some help, he'd easily swing down there and rescue them. That was the theory; Peter hoped that this day would be a quiet one. Without an emergency. It would give him time to think and, of course, play with his little almost-sister.

The shots and swinging were not at all hard. Peter hit his arm and leg on the stone only twice, less than he had expected. When he reached the top, he climbed up and then stood there with a cheerful look on his face. He could feel the wind blowing through his hair when he took off the mask, and it made him feel confident about what he had just accomplished. Then he looked in the distance, watching the sun rise higher and higher as it became noon. After a while he sat down, dangled his legs over the abyss. About twenty to thirty meters below him he noticed a group of children who were playing with what looked like a heavy ball they tried to lift. They succeeded several times and one of the older kids could also throw it. It was a remarkable play, Peter found. Unsuspectingly, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the sun.

Not long after, he suddenly had the feeling that something was wrong. Trusting his Spidey-senses, he quickly opened his eyes and checked what was going on at the beach. The kids were still playing with that heavy ball, and Morgan unknowingly approached them as she was about to pick up a pretty looking starfish. _Something is going on. But what is it? I'd better get down there._ Stuffing his mask in his suit, he jumped off the cliff (and thereby gave aunt May a small heart attack when she saw it), shot his nets and slowly got to Morgan. During his last swing, he noticed that one of the kids – a boy – picked up a big stone targeting a broad, stone arch over Morgan, ready to throw. But Peter realized in shock the boy was too small to hit his target; the stone would surely hit Stark's daughter, for now she had come so close it was impossible for her to get out of the way. The girl still didn't notice anything; it was so driven by the sight of the starfish that it had forgotten everything around it in pure happiness. _I won't let this happen._ For a second, Peter thought about shouting to the boy he should watch out for his almost-sister, but then he just saw the stone being thrown._ I'm near enough, I can catch it._ There was no time to waste. He sprinted out of an impulse and jumped in front of Morgan at the last second to pull her out of the danger zone. Surprised, she screamed as she landed on the sand a few yards from the starfish, while the teenager felt a dull blow to the head. When he hit the ground just seconds after the girl, his vision suddenly blurred. _Oh no, don't faint…_

It had gone black, he realized when he woke up some minutes later. He looked directly into May's and Morgan's faces, both filled with shock. Surprised, he blinked several times until he sat up.

"May, Peter saved me from being hit by that stone. It was the boy's fault."

May gave her a smile.

"I know, sweetheart. That's why I told them to go fetch something else they could play with. Pete, how do you feel? Here, drink some water."

Peter took the bottle and drank noticing an unpleasant pain on his forehead. He touched the spot and was delighted to see no blood on his fingers afterwards. _This is gonna be a big bruise, huh._

"Thank you for saving me", Morgan said and gave him a gentle hug.

"You don't have to thank me, little Stark."

"He was here, by the way", she whispered in his ear.

Peter pulled his eyebrows together.

"Yeah? Who do you mean?"

"Daddy. I saw him bending over you when you lay unconscious on the sand. He protected us from getting hurt. His wings are so beautiful! He's the prettiest angel I've ever seen."

The tears were back.

"So, he's really watching over us?"

"I hope one day you'll see him, too. He's here – always."

This time Peter couldn't hold the tears back and slowly started to cry. He had no idea whether Tony Stark really was an angel or if Morgan just wanted to comfort him. But one thing he knew: He wanted to believe it was like the girl said. _Oh, what a beautiful idea_. One that gave him hope.

_What a beautiful idea…_


End file.
